ROCKFORD — People with severe and chronic health problems will be able to legally access medical marijuana in Illinois, but many aspects of the new law still need to be worked out.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act on Thursday, making Illinois the 20th state with such legislation. Officials have said Illinois’ law will be one of the strictest in the nation.

The law spells out nearly three dozen medical conditions — including cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis — that would qualify patients for the drug’s use. It allows for 22 cultivation centers where the marijuana will be grown and 60 licensed dispensaries.

An eligible patient can buy up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis every 14 days but won’t be able to grow it. He or she also must have an established relationship with a prescribing physician to access the drug.

Minors and people with felony drug convictions or psychiatric conditions won’t qualify for medical marijuana use, and anyone who drives impaired by medical marijuana faces the same penalties as people who drive while impaired by prescription drugs.

The law kicks in Jan. 1 and creates a pilot program that state officials can end or expand after four years. More than 107,000 people in Colorado have cannabis prescriptions primarily for multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV/AIDS, according to state officials.

Dr. Sean MacKenzie with Rockford Orthopedic Associates is in a wait-and-see mode with regard to medical marijuana. He specializes in physiatry, which is physical medicine and rehabilitation and includes people with acute and chronic pain, as well as people with such disabilities as spinal cord and brain injuries.

“It’s going to depend on how the laws end up reading,” he said. “If I feel strongly that a patient will benefit from it, I might sign the card. We probably won’t be prescribing it. We’ll more or less be granting someone permission to go buy it.”

MacKenzie has some patients who’ve admitted using marijuana for medical reasons — which he can’t condone — and those who’ve said they were looking forward to medical marijuana being legalized in Illinois.

Jill Kaney, corporate director of human resources at Wesley Willows in Rockford, said legalization of medical marijuana in other states hasn’t complicated drug-free workplaces. Many employers still maintain those rules.

Still, she said, companies may face challenges interpreting the law.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is hosting a webinar Aug. 16 for business leaders to discuss medical marijuana in the workplace. There’s still time to register.

Medical marijuana and concealed carry have been hot issues for Illinois businesses this year.

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“Most of the people we’ve talked with have drug-free workplace policies, and they are the ones who are most concerned about this,” said Laurie Silvey, the chamber’s director of events and professional education programs. “Others are confused about what they need to do moving forward.”

Workplace discipline related to legal use of medical marijuana is likely to hinge on whether employees are determined to be impaired while they’re working.

Attorney Nesheba Kittling with the Chicago law firm Fisher & Phillips compared the scenario to using alcohol, which is legal for employees to use away from work.

“Just because people will have permits to use (medical marijuana) doesn’t give them an excuse to come to work impaired,” said Kittling, who’s leading the state chamber’s webinar.

“That can affect their safety or the safety of others. It can affect productivity as well.”

Kittling said many companies will need to simply tweak their policies related to drug use. For others, the law will be a good reminder for others to create or update their policies.

Who won’t qualify? Minors and people with felony drug convictions or psychiatric conditions. Patients also can’t be police officers, firefighters, probation officers or school bus drivers.

How will it be taxed? At 1 percent, the same as pharmaceuticals. Cultivation centers and dispensaries will have to pay a 7 percent “privilege tax” that will be used for administering and enforcing the law.

Politics: The law bans campaign contributions from operators of cultivation centers and dispensaries.